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After taking a pair of high-upside hitters with their first two picks in the 2019 MLB draft, the Detroit Tigers continued this trend on Tuesday. Six of the eight selections on Day 2 of the repechage were position players, including the first four of the day. They also skewed heavily for college players, which they (and other MLB teams) usually do on the second day.
The Tigers started the day by grabbing Tennessee third baseman Andre Lipcius with their third-round selection, draft number 83. Lipcius is solidly built at 6'1 and 190 pounds, and has begun to produce more power in his junior season with the Volunteers. Detroit followed suit with Ryan Kreidler, a glove scorer who escaped with a .919 OPS in his junior season with the Bruins. Scouts are still skeptical about his ability to hit the professional level, but he is athletic enough to offer multiple positions.
The Packers took left-field player Bryant Packard in East Carolina with their fifth-round pick. Packard does not have the defensive potential of some of Detroit's other picks, but he's a big player – he weighs 6-3, 210 pounds – and can hit for both average and power. It was taken with the No. 142 overall pick, but ranked 106th on MLB Pipeline's lead list.
The Tigers brought a group of four players from major university programs with their next four choices. Ole Miss receiver Cooper Johnson was the first of the group, who makes our friends to Red Cup Rebellion very happy. Right-handed LSU Zack Hess, a typical Tigers pick, is an imposing and powerful right-hander who could eventually end up in the bullpen. Arkansas Jack Kenley, eighth round pick of Detroit, Jeff Ellis, Project Expert, praised after a monster season for the Razorbacks. Round nine Austin Bergner was also a bit of an affairespecially when it is on.
The Tigers ended their day with Creighton's first baseman, Jake Holton, another powerful bat. He hit 14 homers and 15 doubles for the Bluejays this year, and has attracted almost as many rides (61) as retirements (68) during his college career.
If a theme is to be found among the preliminary class of 2019 in Detroit so far, it is power. Five of Tigers' top 10 picks could be vaguely classified as potential bats, including their top three picks and four of the top five. They also found a good value in their mid-term selections, with Packard, Johnson and Kenley all leaving the board much later than their pre-project ranking (MLB pipeline) suggested. Bergner also appeared much earlier on Baseball America's board of directors (120th) than he did during the current draft (262nd).
The Tigers still have 30 draft picks on Wednesday, the last day of the 2019 draft. We will then continue our coverage with an open wire and a follow-up of the live selections.
Round 1 – DE Riley Greene
Greene is one of the best pure hitters in this year's preparatory class. He has a smooth swing, an excellent discipline for his age and the feeling of carrying the cannon on the ball. Some scouts think he has a potentially more dual typing tool (Grade 70) and that his power will continue to grow as he ages and fills his lean body. The concerns he has raised about his athletics appear to be exaggerated, but he is likely to lose ground to second place at the pro level.
Tour 2 – 3B Nick Quintana
Quintana was eliminated from high school by the Boston Red Sox in 2016 as a short stopover, but slipped to Arizona's third goal. He fought for power in his three seasons with the Wildcats and led the Pac 12 with 77 RBIs in 56 games played in 2019. He has struggled for two seasons in the Cape Cod League, but he has been better at Last summer than the year before. and increased his walking rate in his junior season in Arizona. He presents himself as a defender above average on the third goal with a positive arm.
Round 3 – 3B Andre Lipcius
Lipcius went to third base after playing the shortstop in his first two seasons with the Volunteers, and could eventually slip further into the professional defensive spectrum. He has a good eye on the plate and has "a lot of typing speed," according to Baseball America. He exploited his raw power a bit more during his junior season, with 15 doubles and 17 homers in 61 games, and also swept 10 goals in 11 attempts. He's a bad runner, so do not expect a lot of flying at the pros.
Tower 4 – SS Ryan Kreidler
Kreidler was the first "first glove" player that the Tigers caught, but if his junior season at UCLA is an indication, the bat could also be a nice recovery. Kreidler recorded a .309 / .378 / .522 record with 18 doubles and nine homers this year, all career highs. Despite his size (6'4), he can stay short at the professional level. He will be a positive advocate anywhere else he plays in the infield, making it a useful utility if the bat does not show up completely.
Tower 5 – Bryant Packard
Packard could have gone a bit higher if he had been eligible for the repechage after the 2018 season. He hit .406 / .462 / .671 with 14 homers in his second year at East Carolina. He continued his run in the Cape Cod league last summer, where he posted a .997 position in 18 games. Although his counting statistics took a step back in 2019 (potentially related to a back injury), he improved his walking and radiation rates. He is not really a defender or a runner, but could still touch enough to be an everyday player. He has "a sensation above the average to hit" according to our friends at 2080 Baseball, with more raw power.
Tower 6 – C Cooper Johnson
Johnson has an absolute gun for one arm and is one of the best shooting and shooting systems in the overall repechage class. Baseball America has ranked Johnson's arm as a double plus weapon, and scouts have been screaming about his work behind the marble. Unfortunately, his bat limits him more to a backup profile, but could produce a maximum average power. However, the Tigers will take just about anything they can. As Baseball America says, "If Johnson can hit .230 in a professional ball, he will play for a very long time."
Tower 7 – RHP Zack Hess
Hess moved from one rotation to another of the LSUs in a troubled junior season, but this did not have a significant impact on the number of hits. He scored 82 batters in 70 innings, although his pace was poor. Hess is in the 90s as a starter with a heater that rises up to 95 mph, with a ball that shows promise. The Scouts see him more as a reliever, but the Tigers could see if they can solve his problem with his intense effort before converting him. MLB Pipeline noted that Hess was a bit of a darling analytics, with a pair of offers recording higher spin speeds than most others.
Tower 8 – SS Jack Kenley
Jeff Ellis 24/7 called Kenley his "favorite choice of the class" after the age of 21 has set up a season of monsters in Arkansas. Kenley has averaged .324 / .441 / .571 with 10 doubles and 12 homers in 61 games with the Razorbacks, which is lower than what he's done in his part-time job as & # 39; 39, freshman He may be more of a utility player at the professional level – a common chorus with most infielders taken at this point, actually – but as Ellis noted, it's worth paying attention when someone 39, a strike like Kenley at the SEC this year.
Round 9 – RHP Austin Bergner
Bergner was something of a legend as an amateur playerbut has never lived up to his hype in North Carolina. He struggled again as a junior, averaging 5.21 test points in 15 starts, but almost hit one batter per round throughout the season. dominated Tennessee Sunday to send the Tar Heels to the super regional regions of 2019. Bergner is sitting in the 90s with a quick end of life, but his secondary ones are a little inconsistent. He has both a promising evolution and a curved ball, but has struggled to find both at once (the curved ball in particular).
Tower 10 – 1B Jake Holton
As with Bryant Packard, the Tigers asked Holton to do one thing: to seek power. Holton broke out as a junior at Creighton, with 14 home runs and 15 doubles in 54 games. This is particularly impressive given the Holton's home park, a rather friendly place for launchers. Holton has more raw power and a good eye to the plate. He made almost as many marches as barrage in his junior season with the Bluejays and introduced a similar discipline to the plate in two years in college.
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